The Ghost
by blinkingfox
Summary: Ripley's past haunts her so she lives in the present with no direction. Dangerous men are after her, and it's only a matter of time before she is forced to remember what she tries so hard to forget. In progress. Doesn't quite follow game continuity. Aiden/OC
1. A Favor

**Thanks for checking this out :). I'm loving the game so much right now, and Aiden is so great. I know it's only been a week since the game came out, but there aren't enough Aiden fics! I had to change that...  
Some exposition right now. There will be more exciting events and fluff going on later for sure.**

**Also, I guess I should say I don't own anything aside from my character Ripley, and the story doesn't quite follow game continuity. Plot is not based on any actual events and any relation is a pure coincidence! :)Enjoy!**

**-Blink**

* * *

_I try not to remember. It's easy when there's no one around to remind you…but then you wonder why it's so quiet._

_I don't need much. I have a lot of money, I live in a small apartment in a neighborhood where you wouldn't want your kids to grow up in. Still, everyone usually minds their own business. I'm not afraid for my safety. People can break in and steal my stuff. I don't have many things. A $30 piece of lingerie might be the big ticket item in here. No one knows how much money I have. No one knows that my bank account has more than this entire neighborhood will probably make in their lifetime._

_My next door neighbor is a nice woman who gets mixed up with the wrong crowd. She's also my landlord, Loretta. I've seen her deal drugs right in front of me before. I never bring it up to her. I always pay her on time and usually the first one to do so. In turn, she bakes me pie. One time she mistakenly gave me weed brownies and I had no idea until it was too late. I ate the whole pan and I don't even remember it._

_I love Chicago. I wasn't born here, but I would say it's my home._

…

My landord's kid, Gerald, is probably my best friend. He's 12, but he's a mute so he doesn't talk about shit I don't care about. Gunshot has him deaf in one ear. I don't know why he doesn't talk, but he's great company to sit outside with. I bought him a Nintendo DS after his dad died. It's old technology, but I have to feign being poor. Loretta was so happy she cried. She said she'd never be able to afford it. Gerald loves it and we sit outside together in the quiet and we take turns playing it.

Everyone has a smartphone nowadays. The only way I can get away with how nice mine is, is to make people think someone else is paying for it… which is actually entirely true.

"Just thought you'd want to get together for a memorial or something" I heard on my other line. Jordi Chin. He used to be an associate of my father… before he… "Heeellloooooo?"

"Oh, right… that's coming up" I replied.

"You're a horrible daughter,"

"Yeah good thing I'm not really a daughter anymore! What did you have in mind?" Jordi and I are always insulting each other. Always have. I met him when I was only 8, and apparently I had a sharp tongue and could keep up with him even then. He's been like family to me for over 15 years. Even though my father is gone, Jordi is still in my life.

"Go visit him. But we should do something special for the 5-year. How about… uhhh. Ohh wait-wait. I have the best way to honor him," He said.

"You probably just came up with the worst idea. Where should we meet?" I smirked.

…

I slowly walked up to a part of a abandoned train yard. No sign of Jordi.

"OH shit!" I heard him yell in the distance.

Quickening my pace, I headed for behind a train leading into a tunnel. Not worried about him, I know he's fine. Just curious. He was hiding behind a cart, peaking over.

I gave his direction an odd look, "You see a squirrel or something?"

"Nooo I almost – _almost_- ruined our special tribute," He said, relaxing.

"Tribute? Whooaaa, Jordi, we're at an abandoned train yard. Do I really want to know what you had in mind?" I asked putting my hands out.

"Relax, look" Jordi pulled out an IED from a duffle bag.

I smiled wide, "Clever," I knew exactly what he wanted to do with these. My father was like MacGuyver, if anyone remembers who he is. Dad was a demolitions expert in the military and after his service, he would make explosives for fun… and for when him and Jordi had matters to attend to.

Why was it clever that he brought us here? Well, as legendary as I will always think my dad was, he died in a train "accident", or whatever you want to call it. Not this one in particular, but we'd have people after us if we blew up functional train carts. Even Jordi knows that.

Holding the IED's, I began to feel like a little kid. "Let's put like 4 inside one cart and see it POP!"

"Alright, set them all up. You can throw a few after, but we have about 6 minutes before the cops show up so we have to be long gone in 3."

I chuckled, "Wow, old man. Live a little"

"Handling explosives isn't hip enough for you?"

"Saying 'hip' nullifies this whole argument," I set up the last IED on the inside of a cart. "Alright, Jordi, let's do it!"

We stood back pretty far. We weren't worried about the explosion itself, just the debris that's about to come from that train. Jordi handed me his phone, "Would you care to do the honors, M'lady?"

I eagerly grabbed the phone from him and had some other impact grenade to throw after the initial "fireworks" if you will.

And with a tap on the screen, the explosion went off, completely tearing the cart apart. I placed the IED's in a line, so it was almost a domino affect. Jordi knew how to honor the 5-year anniversary of my dad's death, and he sure as hell knew how to make me feel better. The past five years, my life has felt like it was on pause. I had no direction and not a single care in the world. But detonating those IED's temporarily felt like I hit the "play" button to my life. So lame to think of it that way, but feelings don't make sense.

I threw a couple extra grenades to the carts that I feel weren't destroyed enough. We were both lost in our own thoughts about my dad, that we didn't notice when time was up. As the smoke was blowing over, we heard sirens in the distance.

"You happy?" Jordi asked. I smiled. The adrenaline… it was what I needed. He grabbed his duffle bag, and we ran away from the direction of the sirens and started running into the forest, that also went slightly uphill. There was a parkway about a mile ahead that we could escape to, as long as we kept running.

…

We were standing in front of his grave.

_Roy Parker_

_February 11, 1962 - October 3, 2008_

The last two numbers became more and more blurred over time. I knew what it said. But for some reason, not being able to see it anymore made me forget how much time has gone by…. And how much time I've wasted doing nothing with my life. I know my father would love me, but he'd be so disappointed in who I became.

"Thanks, Jordi" It was the first thing either one of us said.

"For?"

"Don't make me get emotional on you," I replied. He knew what I was thanking him for….For being so loyal to my dad, for treating me so well since I was an annoying brat, and for just being here. Yeah, he knew all right. He just wants to start trouble.

He rested his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it a bit. "I'm going to head out. You going to stay?"

I just nodded. Soon I was left to be alone with my dad. I tried not to remember…. I tried not to remember him dying.

….

I lost track of time and it was dark when I was on my way home. I accidentally started crying so my eyes were red and puffy. Basically, I was in exactly the correct situation to get mugged or stabbed.

I dialed Jordi, "Are you near Midway and 8th right now?" I asked him.

"Not even close, but I can be in 10 minutes. Are you okay? You're not home yet?" He replied quickly.

"N-no I was just wondering. I'll be fine. Have a nice night, Jordi" I hung up. I don't really know why I called. I'm not in any danger. I guess I was just vulnerable.

"Hey girl, what you doing by yourself out here?" I heard someone asked. I rolled my eyes. I knnewww I was going to get mugged or stabbed. Or worse. Oh God.

I turned to the source of the voice to see it coming from across the street. But it wasn't directed at me. It was directed at another girl.

"Good, thanks for asking" She responded, being polite, but continued to walk quickly"

"Hey slow down, I just want to talk," The guy kept bugging her.

"No thank you, I'd really just like to keep walking" She responded.

"I can walk with you" He insisted. He reached out to grab her and then she shrieked.

"I said no thank you!"

"Bitch, don't you have manners?!" He pushed her down.

"Hey!" I finally spoke up. Normally I would mind my own business, but my emotions were getting the best of me this evening, "She wants you to leave her alone, in case you couldn't tell by her lack of interest in you"

"This doesn't concern you… unless you want it to," He said with a disgusting smirk at the end.

"Ew," I said under my breath.

He started to walk toward me all kindly and I saw the other girl run off. She's not getting help. Thanks for nothing.

"Look, guy, I really don't need this right now" I said after a sign. I stood my ground as he walked right up to me.

"Then maybe you should've minded your own business," He grabbed me around my neck and I elbowed his stomach. He collapsed on the ground for a second, but then pulled out a gun. I held my arms up, as he stood up slowly, holding his stomach. He began to chuckle under his breath but before he could pull the trigger, someone tackled him to the ground and disarmed him, then hit the poor bastard in the head with the butt of the gun, knocking him out. Normally, I might be in awe, but I knew exactly who it was.

"I had that…" I said under my breath.

He stood up and fixed his hat before picking up the creep's gun off the ground. He handed it over to me, "I know, but I couldn't take that chance. Jordi would kill me,"

I frowned and didn't grab the gun from him. He was humoring me. He knew I wouldn't have had that. "Did he call you to follow me home?" I asked, still not grabbing the gun.

"What?"

"Either he did, or you willingly decided to protect me out of all the citizens of Chicago. And we know how unlikely that is," I said.

He stayed silent for a few moments as he lowered his arm, giving up on the chances of me taking the gun from him. I knew the answer, but it still felt like I didn't want to hear it, "He knew you'd be there all night. I only showed up an hour ago," He finally said.

I nodded and looked down.

I saw him start to walk away. I wanted to thank him anyway, but for some reason I just wanted to cry again. Crying in public was so unlike me. I saw him come back in my peripherals. He just walked away to move the unconscious guy off the street and onto the sidewalk. I made eye contact with him when I looked up.

He started to walk in the direction I was heading to, "Come on, I'll walk you the rest of the way"

I was too surprised at his offer to start walking right away, but soon caught up enough to where I was next to him, but could only see his back, "You don't have to… There are plenty of girls out there getting creeped on,"

"Yeah, well, right now there's you", He didn't turn to look at me.

"I should tell Jordi to mind his own business. Sorry he made you come all the way out here,"

"I owed him a favor,"

I increased my pace and walked in front of him, stopping him, "But you don't owe one to **me**. You can go," I wasn't angry, I just felt bad that he felt he needed to do something for me.

"We're almost there, it's fine" He insisted and tried to walk past me.

I grabbed his arm to make him stop, "What was the favor? What did he ask?"

"He just wanted to make sure you get home safe. I think you're overreacting." He pulled his arm away, giving me an odd look.

I blinked a few times before holding my head, "I'm… sorry," I sighed, "Today has been an emotional roller coaster for me. And then you show up, who I haven't seen in almost a year and… sorry…" I just wanted to go home at this point.

He continued walking and I followed in silence. 10 minutes later, we got to the front of my apartment and he even walked me to the steps. I walked up my stoop and leaned my head against the banister. I turned my head to see he was about to walk away, "Aiden…" I mumbled quietly, unsure if I wanted him to hear me.

He stopped to look at me. I got really shy all of a sudden. Last time I saw him was a year ago, and it wasn't exactly on good terms. The time before that... well... It was a year before that and we haven't been friendly to each other ever since. We used to get along... He probably just wanted to get the hell out of there and not have to see my face for another year…. or three... or five.

"I'm really sorry to hear about your niece…" It's almost been a year since she died. I knew how much he loved her. We haven't seen each other since she passed, and I didn't want him to think I was being insensitive by bringing her up. He already hated me as it is.

He did a quick smile and he nodded lightly a few times, "Goodnight, Ripley", and he walked off.

* * *

**Wooo~~ Hope you enjoy the beginning! Like I said, exposition, but there will be more exciting events and drama and fluff later for sure. Ripley is generally just a depressed character for now because she has no direction in life after her father passed. More will be explained later! I'd love to hear what you think and what you do/don't like! **

**Thanks again for reading!**


	2. Guests

**Hello again! I really appreciate all the follows and favorites so far! Puts a big smile on my face every time I get that e-mail.**

**As an FYI, if you read my first chapter before this was posted on June 5th, I'll just let you know that I changed a few of the year details, such as when Ripley and Aiden last saw each other. It confused me that Watch Dogs is supposed to be in a near-future setting, but it takes place in 2013. I get that the game was supposed to release in November 2013, but that's still present time! Haha, but I get it, it's fine. Anyway, no need to read the whole chapter again if you don't want, just the last couple pieces of dialogue I suppose. Or just take my word for it that it's a little different. Still doesn't really matter for this chapter. I'm rambling.**

**Thanks again, everyone! Enjoy! :)**

**-Blink**

* * *

_There's days where I wish I would've grown up in a less hostile environment. What kind of person would I be then? Sometimes I'm more comfortable with what I already have than imagining the other possibilities. Which scares me._

...

"Jordi please leave Aiden alone. I don't want him doing things for me," I said over the phone.

"He does things for _me_, dear"

"Ew"

"Right. Listen, you should probably stay inside today…and maybe tomorrow,"

"Why?" The other day gave me a very welcome confidence boost that Jordi seemed to be taken off guard with. Normally, I would question the 'when' and 'where' -Never the 'why'.

"Oh. Why? Beccaauuuuse there was security footage of you speaking with Aiden. The last thing we need is to have you associated with the Vigilante," He sounded like he made that up, but I played a long.

"I can just tell the paparazzi or whoever you're worried about that I don't know him,"

"He never lingers for people he doesn't know, Rip" He said matter of factly.

I sighed, "What am I supposed to do for two days?!"

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Later!" And he hung up.

…

It was 6 pm on a Thursday that I finally decided I had enough of being inside. I have nothing, what am I supposed to occupy my time with? I don't have cable, I don't have video games, no Bluray or DVD player.

"Fuuuuuck this," and I stormed out.

I called up Jordi. If he so desperately wanted me to stay inside then he's going to have to give me something to do. He didnt answer. "Hey Jordiiii. I'm getting restless so I'm doing exactly the opposite of what you told me to do. I think I'm going to the theater to see a movie so i'll kind of be indoors! If you want to stop me, call me back!"

I hung up my phone and went to the ticket booth. "Hi, one for whatever the next showing is," I really didn't care what I saw. The Lighthouse. What? As I walked to the usher, I almost ran into someone.

"Excuse me, miss" he said politely and let me walk in front of him. He was kind of handsome. Blonde, though. Not into blondes. I smiled and went ahead. After some time I turned my head to look behind to see the same guy heading in my direction. What are the chances that people actually want to see a movie called The Lighthouse by themselves? Apparently 2 other people did. They were making out so it doesn't even count. I had a whole row to myself. Sure enough the guy I ran into sat two seats down from me. Did he not see that he could also have his own row and sit in the middle? I started feeling uncomfortable so I brought out my phone and started pretending to text someone.

"Looks like we meet again," The man smiled, trying to make small talk. I looked up from my phone, smiled quickly, then looked back down. "You looking forward to seeing this movie too?" He asked.

I smirked for a second before looking up at him, "What movie?" I asked playing dumb.

He looked confused, like he didn't even know what movie, "Uhh this one we're seeing?"

"Ohh I'm not sure what movie ticket I got to be honest, I just felt like going out. What movie is this?" I had my phone on Jordi's contact info and my thumb was hovering over the call button just in case.

He laughed, "No way I did the same!"

"I thought you said you were looking forward to seeing it," I had him.

He didn't respond for a bit and started to look nervous, "You know, just making small talk." and looked ahead.

I looked ahead too and immediately noticed that the couple making out weren't there anymore. Who the hell knows where they went. Probably on the ground. As long as they don't make sounds during the movie... But then I heard something behind me. Before I got a chance to turn around, I felt something wrap around my neck, choking me. I threw my hands up to try to pull the fabric away, dropping my phone to the floor in the process.

"What the fuck" I managed to choke out

The man seated two seats next to me sat up and walked to my phone picking it up. "No way, Jordi Chin? This guy still around?" He laughed.

"What.. do .. you want?!"

He sat in the seat next to me and got close to my face. I tried to swing an arm out to hit him in the neck, but he caught my fist too fast. He started twisting my arm, causing me to yell out with air I didn't have. Everything started to get fuzzy..."You have some things of mine," Was all I heard him say before I blacked out...

...

I woke up to a dark room. A basement? It took a while for my eyes to adjust but there was a light source a bit ahead of me. People were there, talking, but my hearing was fuzzy and I couldn't focus. That's when I remembered that I blacked out. I gasped and started coughing. My senses all came back and then I realized I was tied to a chair. How fucking typical.

"Oh good, you're awake!" I heard a voice say. I looked up to see the blonde man at the theater walking toward me. He looked like such an asshole with his frosted blonde hair, his faded jeans with a dumb almost bedazzled shirt under a red blazer. I take back the handsome comment. I glared back at him, "Watch that look you're giving me. You're in no position to look down to me" He laughed.

"Hilarious" I finally said.

"If you're trying to get under my skin, it's working," He grabbed my chin and tilted my head up. He pulled a phone out of his pocket - my phone. "Let's seee. 7 Missed calls. 6 from Jordi Chin. 1 from Aiden Pearce. You got two boyfriends, sweetheart?"

"No. Do you?" I said with a straight face.

He let go of my chin momentarily to punch me hard across the jaw, making me yell. Totally worth it. He then roughly grabbed my chin again and only this time he knelt down to me at eye level, "You are not to say a _fucking_ word unless I ask you a question. You lost all Mr. Nice Guy privileges. You understand?" He asked menacingly. Mr. Nice Guy? Seriously? I just nodded. "Good" he pulled out my phone again and started reading my text messages. "(Jordi Chin: Go back home. Answer your phone.) yadda yadda. Next text message, (Jordi Chin: You're in danger.) No shit, China Man. (Call me right now). Man, lady, this guy is such a drag. Now why would he say you're in danger, huh?"

"I have no idea what he's talking about" I said calmly and truthfully

"Oh yeah? You don't? Well let's ask him, why don't we?" He let go of my face and started to dial Jordi. "Whoooaa calm down there old man. The girl's busy" He said through the phone. "No, she's here. She's alive, if that was going to be your next question." I could faintly hear Jordi yelling on the other line, but I couldn't make out words, "Miss Parker here is going to stay until she gives me what is mine and then everything will be okay." How does he know my name?

"I don't have anything of yours" I said

"Quiet!" He yelled at me. "She's being a terrible hostage, let me tell you, Mr Chin" he laughed. Silence, "She's either going to give it back, or you're going to do it. You'd be a very annoying hostage though, no offense. I didn't even know you two were affiliated. But I guess that just makes getting my stuff back even easier. Go ahead and trace this call. But if you show up empty handed, neither of you are going to get out of here alive," and with that, he hung up. He threw the phone on the table and he looked over to me. "I'm not messing around, Miss Parker"

"Look, did Jordi steal something from you? I have no idea what you're talking about, and I don't give a shit about your stuff. I don't have anything!"

He leaned down and said barely above a menacing whisper, "You. Have. Everything"

I heard two more footsteps walk down the stairs. An African-American male and a pretty brunette. Something about the guy looked familiar. And the girl. The guy had a bandage on his forehead...right where Aiden hit a guy with a gun the other night. Oh shit. "You!" Was all I could say.

"Hello again," He smirked.

I looked over to the girl and she was leaning on one hip, twirling her hair around her finger, "I tried to help you..." I felt stupid.

"Yeah, well, I didn't need any help." She said.

"There has to be a misunderstanding. Why are all you people after me?," I tried not to panic.

""You people" is so impolite," Blonde man said, "Let me refresh your memory. Your dear ol' pa stole some information from me. He did a really good job at hiding the fact that he had a daughter. But we found you, and we know you have the data, so give it up,"

I said nothing, "I swear to you, there is no data in my possession," There was no point. There weren't going to believe me anyway, so I'm as good as dead.

"Fontaine, I think I heard something," The girl said looking upstairs.

"Whatever. Les, go with Maria upstairs,"

"Fontaine?" I asked

"Name ringing a bell? From the data?!"

"Nope. Just want to know the name of the guy that kills me,"

He pulled out a knife, "Your fucking attitude is really bringing me down, girl!" He raised his arm up and used all his force to stab the knife into my thigh, creating the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. I tried to hold back the tears, but the screaming couldn't help itself. "That's what happens when I lose my patience. Don't let it happen again. I just want my data and i'll let you go" He started to sound desperate.

We heard a radio upstairs go off. The wacky radio show hosts were a perfect kind of annoying to try to get my mind off my thigh.

"Where is it?! In a computer? On a hard drive still? At the bottom of a river? Tell me and I'll find it!" He pulled the knife out roughly, my screaming almost drowning out his own yelling.

"You're crazy..." I said softly through whimpers. The radio was still going off.

"Mother fuuu- Wait here. Oh wait, where else can you go? Hahahaha!" He headed upstairs. "LES. MARIA. You idiots can't hear that thing or - what the fuck?" He asked.

Suddenly, all the power went out. I was trapped in a dark basement, by myself, unknown of what was going on around. Somehow, being in total darkness in this whole situation made it that much worse. I heard Fontaine coming back down the steps.

"Ripley!" I heard a voice call. Only it wasn't Fontaine's.

"Jordi?" I almost wanted to cry, "To the right, i'm over here!"

Jordi's eyes adjusted to the dark quickly and he found me, "How the hell did you manage to get in this situation?" He asked.

"Apparently there's something you're not telling me," I almost glared. "Untie me".

I tried to stand up, but there was no way with my thigh, "AH!" I fell over against Jordi. He helped me stay standing.

"What what?" He asked quickly

"My... leg... just help me. Please."

Jordi pulled my arm over his shoulders and we headed upstairs. It was still dark. Either the blackout was awesome timing, or it was Aiden's doing. He's got a knack for that. "How many favors does he owe you?" I asked

"Not enough,"

The girl, Maria, suddenly came out from hiding and held a knife in one hand, and a gun pointing at us, "You're not going anywhere!" She yelled. Her hair was messed up and she had blood on her face. What happened up here in 5 minutes? She pulled the trigger but the gun only clicked.

Jordi sighed, "Safety's on,"

She looked at the gun for a sec and then angrily threw it to the side before she held the knife up and started running towards us. Jordi turned to protect me, but he didn't need to. Aiden already showed up from the side and hit the girl in the knee with his baton. She screamed as she fell down onto the ground. He picked up the knife that she dropped.

"Your timing is kind of comical, Aiden," Jordi said, leading us to his van parked outside

"Did you find Fontaine?" I interrupted, but continued walking along.

"Wait, wait. Fontaine? Why does that name sound so familiar" Jordi asked himself.

"Of course you fucking know him. Aiden, he's blonde and was wearing a red blazer," I said quickly

"I know a lot of people," Jordi said.

"We have to get you somewhere safe first," Aiden said

I stopped walking and Jordi stopped with me, "I'm not leaving until I know he's arrested or dead," i said seriously. I didn't wish death upon anyone, but this guy was not only a danger to me, but who knows how many others.

Jordi tried to get me to continue walking again, "Rip, don't worry, you're the top priority right now. We can talk..._later_," He said.

"He kidnapped me and stabbed me and you want to let him go," I stated more than asked.

"You gotta trust me on this one," Jordi whispered to me.

I finally gave in. I knew Jordi would find him. But not knowing where Fontaine was made me more uncomfortable than I trusted Jordi... And I trusted him with my life. He finally guided me to the backseat of the van and was careful to get me in there while being careful with my bleeding leg. Aiden was keeping watch in case someone decided to show up.

Jordi gave me a shirt to tie around me leg, "I'm losing a lot of blood. If I die, are you going to get revenge?" I asked

"No one's dying right now" He said sounding annoyed, as he got into the passenger seat and Aiden began to drive.

"Normally, I hate guests, but I have no choice. Take us to my place, it's the closest," Jordi offered.

"How kind of you to invite us in," I mumbled from the back seat, vision starting to get hazy... again.

"You're lucky you're about to pass out!" Jordi joked.

I laughed. Even in the worse situations, Jordi doesn't give a shit. I love it.

"That's what it takes to get the house tour? Someone bleeding out?" Aiden asked

"Nah, just her. Aiden, if you were on the verge of dying, I probably wouldn't let you in. No offense, you're a great associate, but I don't mix business with my personal life," Jordi responded.

"Bullshit, you're making him follow me everywhere!" I piped up.

"Rip, save your energy,"

"You're such a schemer," Is what I said before I drifted off. Or at least what I remember trying to say. I might have stopped talking midway. The car stopping and the door slams is what brought me back to consciousness...slight consciousness.

Jordi helped me out of the car. I heard voices, but couldn't focus on what they were saying. I think I responded with 'yes' or 'no's despite not even being asked a question. We eventually got to Jordi's apartment and he led me to the couch. He brought over his first aid kit and set it on the table. "Alright, we have to clean your wound. Take your pants off"

That woke me up, "No way!"

"Well it's either the pants or probably your leg, if you want to take that chance," He said flatly

For once I couldn't think of what to say, "wha... I..."

"Running out of time,"

"Fine, oh my god," I started to unbutton my jeans and Jordi walked over, "DON'T help me!" I stopped and held a hand up, "And turn around or something. This is already awkward enough,"

"Do you want to clean it yourself?" Aiden asked.

I looked over startled. I didn't even know he was still here, "Please. Can you guys leave the room? I'll call if I need anything,"

They left the room and I was left with the first aid kit in front of me. This wasn't the first time I had to take care of my own injury. It's been a while, though. After I cleaned it out, I numbed my skin and started to stitch the cut closed. I hated stitching up wounds. Especially my own. I'm not squeamish, but performing any sort of surgery on myself always makes me nervous. I got it over with and was proud of my own work, even though i was very rusty. I wrapped it up with bandages and didn't feel like putting my bloody, dirty pants back on. I just layed on the couch and put a blanket over me. I let out a deep sigh.

"Still doing okay in there?"

Aiden? "Yeah I'm done," I said lazily. It just dawned on me how tired I was and how i can't believe I was able to stay focused on patching myself up. Losing blood, in pain, tired... Today was horrible.

Aiden walked back in and sat in a chair across from the couch, and let out a breath of air. He looked exhausted.

"Where's Jordi?" I asked.

"He's getting some things. Asked me to stay here until he gets back," He responded, looking around.

"Making you babysit again... You can leave if you're busy. I was just going to fall asleep probably." I said.

"Trying to get rid of me?" He joked.

I chuckled, "I've only seen you once a year lately. I'm not trying to get rid of you. But the Vigilante sounds like he's got a lot to do."

"He's doing something right now," He said in his usual low voice. It always sounds dangerous, even when he's being... nice, or whatever Aiden is.

I closed my eyes and smiled, "You said something like that last time. Jordi has to give you better jobs,"

"Only if you stop getting yourself in trouble," He joked

"It's like every time I see Jordi, something happens"

"Yeah, I know the feeling" He said.

I wanted to call him out, "He says the same about you!"

He chuckled, "Guess that's why we work well together. We never run out of things to do,"

I smiled, "Well thanks for staying. I miss seeing you around. In person, I mean. Not on the news," I don't like talking about my feelings, but it's probably just the loss of blood and the sleep deprivation that made me so honest. I couldn't see it, but I could feel his eyes on me and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Okay everyone, exposition is pretty much done, and the fun begins in the next chapter! More Aiden after this, I promise.**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Mutual Associates

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update. I went to a convention last weekend and had a lot of stuff to catch up with during the week. I would like to thank all the new followers and favorites! I really appreciate it, and any sort of feedback. **

**Enjoy!**

**-Blink**

* * *

I leaned against Jordi's kitchen counter with my arms crossed. I knew he was going to come home soon and I was pissed. I tried to discuss what happened and get answers out of him, but he'd always make up some excuse. I know what he does. I know he's a busy man, but there's no way he never has time to himself… or to me. He's already proved that.

The door was being unlocked; quieter than usual. The door slowly opened and Jordi walked in very closely and was careful not to shut the door to loudly. I could've spared him the trouble by making my presence known, but when I need answers, I don't want to play nice. He set his keys down and waited to listen for some noise. Probably to see if I was awake…. It's 8pm. I'm injured, not 70 years old. He turned to his kitchen and finally saw me, which made him jump like I've never seen. A man in his line of work… startled by a 130lb girl.

"Ripley! So glad you're awake. You're looking well. You sure you shouldn't be resting that leg of yours?" He asked.

"I want answers, Jordi. I'm tired and maybe even a little bit scared. If you don't tell me, I will find out. And you won't like the way I would do things," I threatened in vain. Jordi knows me too well and I wouldn't be able to find anything without his help.

He let out a big sigh, "I guess I can't keep avoiding this forever,"

I looked at him carefully, "Why are you so reluctant to tell me?"

"Because I know it's something you're not going to want to deal with,"

I looked down at the stab wound in my thigh, "Uhh Jordi. I'm already dealing with it! Look, can we stop playing it up so much and talk about it? It can't be as bad as what I've been imaging for the past week,"

"Okay, okay, can you just… sit down? You're making me nervous standing on your own like that," He helped me walk over to the couch, "How is it by the way, I haven't asked yet."

"Maybe cause you keep avoiding me. It's better. Still hurts. You ever got stabbed before?" I asked sarcastically. I knew the answer, but just wanted to get the point across.

He let out a laugh, "Have I ever been stabbed before…" He said as if I should've known the answer. He's definitely had much worse than I did. He sat down next to me.

"Alright, Rip. Where should we begin?" He asked. I could tell he didn't want to do this.

"The beginning?" I retorted.

"Did he say anything to you while you were in there? Do you already know something?"

"That guy… Fontaine or whatever; he mentioned that my dad had something of his. Data or something… He seemed to know you," I explained.

"I recognized the name, but I never met Fontaine," He said typing up something in his computer.

"Well who is he?" I sighed. I felt like this wasn't getting anywhere.

"Joseph Fontaine. He was one of the original ctOS programmers. And I mean original, like alpha stage. But he's been dead for 10 years,"

My eyes widened, "So either he's a zombie or he's some guy using an alias? How do you know him?"

"We've had… mutual associates,"

"Why did you let him leave after you guys found me? We could've asked questions. Now I'm chasing a dead guy around the damn city,"

Jordi shook his head, "Nahh Aiden put a tracking device in the only other car outside that compound. We just have to refer to that and we'll find him."

"What?!" I stood up way too fast, forgetting about my thigh, "Ahh fuck! I'm so tired of this!" I felt so useless not even being able to stand normally and my frustration just took over, "Jordi, why the hell didn't you tell me sooner? Is Aiden after him now or something? Are you? Is that why you haven't been home so much?!"

"You mind slowing down there with all the questions? It's not safe to go after him right now. He's all scattered, he's probably homeless or has multiple hideouts, which means a lot of men work for him. That house he took you to was most likely one of his thugs." Jordi seemed to get annoyed.

"Then explain this. You had Aiden make sure I got home from the cemetery okay. You asked me to stay inside for a couple of days. So it sounds like you knew he was coming after me. And you seemed to have your 'database' ready to go just now. So why didn't you tell me?" I was still standing with my arms crossed, demanding answers.

He didn't seem like he wanted to answer, "I just… had a feeling?"

"Bullshit," I began. "All of this could have been prevented if you just told me from the beginning. Look, i'm not blaming you… yet. So tell me."

He stood up, "You want to know why I'm trying to keep this away from you?" Jordi asked

"No. I don't care. I just want to know _what_ you're keeping away from me…"

He looked at me for a second, sympathetic. I could tell he wanted to tell me why, but getting answers from him are hard enough, so I had to choose one or the other, "Fine. When I called you in the morning on your dad's anniversary, I was already at the grave. I've been doing that every year since he died. This past time, I saw him standing there at your dad's grave. I didn't know who he was, so I tried to find some more information before I assumed friend or foe. I was going to confront him myself eventually. Rip, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was going to get this bad."

His voice proved that he was actually sorry, "I believe you," was all I said.

"We'll find this guy. So can you please trust me and just do as I say?" He asked

I just looked down. I knew that meant staying inside. It was going to be a hard promise to keep but I eventually nodded slowly.

"Good… Look, I have some things to do tonight, but I'll do research when I get back. Stay. Safe. All right?" He titled my chin up to make me look at him. I just smiled quickly. His smile dropped. "I'll be back in a few hours. Lock the door on my way out," And with that, he was gone.

Hell no am I staying inside. I was being the worst fake-kid ever. And I knew exactly where to go…

…..

The Owl Motel. I only knew Aiden stayed here because of Jordi. Aiden manages to stay out of the public eye pretty well… aside from all that Vigilante stuff. I went to his door and turned the knob to find out it was locked. I knocked lightly and tried listening through the door. When I didn't hear anything back, I decided to take my chances by picking the lock with a kit in the form of a switchblade. The worst that could happen is that Aiden catches me mid way and opens the door for me. Either way, I was getting inside. Picking locks used to be a hobby of mine. "Still got it," I said to myself as the door unlocked.

I walked in and made sure to lock the door behind me. I stepped forward to see a normal motel room but with computers laid out and papers tacked onto a wall. Probably contracts and fixers Aiden had to take down. I wondered how many of those were given to him by Jordi. Even a picture of Jordi was on the wall. He was a fixer, I'm sure he's tied to something. I saw his niece's picture on the wall, Lena. There were strings connecting other people's pictures together, and there was a big question mark between Lena's and some other man's. And that's when I realized how much Lena's death broke him. And he was getting revenge….

I went over to sit on a couch at the other end, still starring at the wall. I remember when I first met Lena. Before I could let myself go into memory lane, I heard the door unlock and open. Aiden walked in quickly, checking his computer immediately. He seemed stressed out and didn't notice me. I obviously didn't think this far ahead and I started getting nervous. I didn't want to startle him by saying anything, and I didn't want to wait for him to get scared when he saw me. I stood up and walked toward him, but my leg decided to remind me that it hurts and I limped forward a bit, making the floor creak.

Before I knew it, he was pointing his gun right in my direction, with a hard look on his face. It quickly softened when he realized who I was.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," I called out, straightening myself out and putting more weight on my right hip.

He put his gun away, but still looked mad, "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"Heh, this isn't my first break-in," I smirked, "Jordi isn't helping me with this whole dead guy 'Fontaine', whoever the fuck it is, and now somehow my dad might be in the equation… He said you've been tracking his car. Ah fuck," I said as my leg really started hurting and I had to sit down. Aiden walked over to me to try to help, but I was already seated.

"The tracker hasn't moved in 2 days. I can go to it, but he either found it and took it off, or he ditched the car."

I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees and held my head up with my hands, sighing, "I figured I wouldn't hear any good news…Am I overreacting, again? I've been doing that lately."

"You did just break into my apartment," He said with a small smirk.

I smiled softly, "I'm sorry about that. I thought you'd be more mad."

"Seeing you did brighten up my day a bit," He said. My heart fluttered. I really wasn't expecting to hear that. "Don't take that the wrong way – I went through hell so you're a sight for sore eyes," He walked back over to his computer and minimized what was on the screen. No matter what he did on his computer, he couldn't hide the giant wall of pictures.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm frustrated and confused and no one is helping me figure this shit out. My dad has something, and it's not like I can ask him. No one else seems to know and I can't ask the guy trying to kill me! I was perfectly happy living my life without anyone in it and having no responsibilities or fears or enemies…"

"You're not overreacting about being hunted down, but your choice of lifestyle is dramatic,"

"You think that's dramatic?" I said eyeing his wall, "Then how do you explain that?"

"That's none of your business," He had no humor in his eyes after that. "So did you just come here to vent?" He sounded annoyed. I guess I hit a nerve. I should have known.

"Sorry, Aiden, I'm just used to being around Jordi…" I felt bad.

"Are you done? I have a lot of work to do," He turned away.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked timidly

"No. You don't want to help, you just don't want to go home and deal with your situation."

"That's not true!" I didn't feel very assertive sitting down, "I know you hate me, but if getting revenge for Lena will make you feel even a little bit better, then I want to help you…" I could feel my eyes trying to tear up, but I forced myself to not think about it.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Aiden responded calmly.

I didn't react right away. I stood up and slowly headed to the door, but stopped a few steps from it and looked at Aiden, "I lost someone, too. If I could get back at who killed him, I would. I'm not judging you, Aiden. I loved her, too. And I regret that I couldn't spend more time with her. I know why you pushed me away, and I am so sorry," and with that, I tried to leave but he grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Did you at least want a ride to Jordi's?" He looked into my eyes and I saw a familiar look but I tugged my arm back and walked out before I could remember why.

…..

I limped back inside Jordi's apartment. This time it was his turn to lean against the kitchen counter, judging me, as I walked in. Though I was expecting it. I just shut the door behind me, and sat down on the couch and looked at him.

"I was gone for 4 hours and you disappeared. I'm starting to think you liked getting kidnapped,"

"Well you weren't helping me! I had to do something,"

"And you thought Aiden would help you." Jordi said more than asked.

I eyed him, "How did you know – Ah, fuck, I know how, why do I bother asking? It was a waste of time anyway," I gave up, "You've been gone for days, and suddenly you're worried about me being gone for 4 hours."

"Yeah I have a job, and you have people after you. Which is the worst scenario for one to be gone for?" He asked.

"You always have people after you," I smiled.

"But I'm good at not dyeing. I've gotten stabbed and shot at enough times to learn to avoid it. You need to get stabbed about 20 more times to figure out how to never have it happen ever again because it sucks so bad,"

"I already know it sucks, how about after the first time?"

"That's a lie, and still not even close. Look, I have answers if you want them." Jordi brought back his laptop and set it down.

I sat up straight, "How did you know?" I said sarcastically.

"Does this guy look familiar?" Jordi asked as he turned his laptop to me.

Fontaine. Or at least the guy who said he was Fontaine, "That's him!"

"Yeah, I know this guy and that's definitely not Fontaine, dead or alive. That's Ted Tannen. He's an idiot. I'm not surprised he's pretending to be someone else."

"How do you know him?"

"Your dad had a job to break into a hideout several years ago. When ctOS was first getting programmed, some people involved were copying the data on their own time. Basically to be able to have control over it when it finished and run the city themselves. But they messed up and got fired by Blume, but not without taking the data with them. They went into hiding and continued the work on their own. We were able to find them and take the data from them, but not without a few losses," He started.

"How come I've never heard of this before? And why did you guys care about ctOS so much?" I asked

"The less you knew about your dad's involvement with ctOS, the better. You were like 15 at the time, it wasn't something for you to worry about. And Roy was buddies with one of these people. He didn't want to betray him, he was just trying to help him not get arrested or worse,"

"Was he friends with Fontaine?" I asked after a few moments. Jordi looked at his laptop and started clicking around. "What kind of database is that anyway?" I asked while he was scrolling.

"Just a list of people we – I've encountered. With some notes," He responded. We? As in he and my dad? I was going to bring it up to him but he interrupted my though, "And no he wasn't friends with Fontaine. He was one of the lead programmers for ctOS in the very beginning. He was brilliant. Really nice guy, too, from what I heard. Only got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Tannen fuckin' wishes he was Fontaine. Guy couldn't even program "Hello World" let alone a damn operating system,"

"So which one was my dad friends with?"

He brought up another entry.

_Frank Murray_

_1958-2003_

"Murray…. I think I remember him. He looks familiar," I said quietly.

"Wouldn't be surprised if you met him. They were in the army together for a bit before Murray lost a leg in battle and couldn't serve anymore. He went to work for Blume, but Roy and him stayed friends. I don't know why, but he started to go nuts. He felt he was out of control after his injury, and the opportunity to take over a whole city probably sounded like a dream. Roy tried to help him, but he only got worse. Murray died over that data. Fontaine, too. Murray threatened his family to work for him. I don't know why Tannen joined. Probably just stumbled his way in the gang."

I blinked trying to process all this, "So this "idiot" managed to kidnap me and stab me over data that's been missing for 10 years, which isn't even his to begin with? And his two pals are dead?"

Jordi nodded, "I don't really know why wants it 10 years later. It's not like it really matters considering how outdated the coding probably is. Maybe Tannen just had enough of regular life and thought to give ruling the city a shot?" Jordi smirked.

"So what do we do?"

"We get things done in the classic Jordi Chin fashion. To eliminate the threat,"

"How about talking to them?" I looked over to Jordi and after a few moments we both just started laughing.

"I'm going to call it a night. Don't go snooping in that database," He stood at heading toward his room, but quickly did a 180 and grabbed his laptop, "Actually, you've had a knack for doing the opposite of what I tell you, so I'm just going to take this with me," I flipped him off before he went back into his room. I sat there for a moment longer, trying to process all the information I just heard. I knew who my dad was after he served the military. I knew he had enemies, but I never thought that they'd outlive him enough to get to me. Very selfish of me, but I thought those days were done. I thought my own criminal history would end with my father's death…

* * *

**Chapter 4 will be out very very soon! I originally had this chapter be like 5000 words long, but it got ridiculous and decided to split it into two chapters. Stay tuned!**

**Thanks!**


	4. Don't Get Comfortable

**Told you chapter 4 will be out very very soon! Here's some cheesy, fluffy goodness for y'all, you deserve it.**

**Enjoy!**

-Blink

* * *

Before I knew it, it was already morning. I let my imagination wander off all night, having fake arguments with Tannen, Jordi, Aiden… and my dad. I don't remember if I slept, and I can't recall even waking up. I walked out of Jordi's apartment and went to the park. I sat down on a bench and probably dazed off again. There were families out having picnics, or walking their dogs. Guess people are taking advantage of the perfect fall weather before it gets too cold and starts to snow. Seeing people play catch brought me back to some very fond memories. They hurt now, because I know it'll never be the same, but precious moments are so great because they have an ending.

~~~  
_3 years ago, I was in the same spot. In the park. Watching people do their family things. It was more populated because it was summer time. It was a year after my dad died so I picked up some hobbies like drawing. Nothing in particular, sometimes I would just scribble things until I figured out what I wanted to draw. Sometimes, I would just sketch what I see. Sometimes the same tree. It was therapeutic and I got pretty good at it. I took a break to look over to a family. A woman and a little girl were setting up a picnic and a guy and a small kid playing catch. I smiled at how happy they seemed. I never had that kind of family, and one day I hoped I would._

_I saw more and more families reminding me how alone I was. I remember that feeling so vividly. I started drawing again, forcing my mind to focus on something else. After some time, I got thrown out of my trance when a baseball hit my sketchbook and knocked it out of my hands. It took a bit to process what happened. I stood up to pick up the baseball and looked around to see who was missing it. I recognized the boy from earlier running up to me with his catcher's mitt. That was when I first met Jackson._

_"Lost something?" I asked smiling, handing the ball over to him._

_"I'm so sorry! My uncle can't throw," He said, and I saw his uncle walking his way up to us. I went over to pick up my sketchbook, but he grabbed it before me and handed it to me. I smiled at his politeness. That's the number one thing I appreciated Jackson for, how polite he was… "Whoa is that Spider-man?!" …and his love for Spider-man._

_I looked at my drawing. Dropping the sketchbook must have turned the pages. My favorite things to draw were people – namely super heroes. In the weird point of my life that I was in, I needed to draw superheroes… His uncle finally reached us._

_"Uncle Aiden, look, it's Spider-man!" Jackson cheered._

_Aiden smiled at me. I remember that first look so well. He had a navy ball cap on somewhat hiding his face, but I could still see how green his eyes were. They drew me in. "I see that! Jackson, did you apologize to her?"_

_Jackson crossed his arms, "It wasn't my fault!"_

_I laughed, "Oh, it's okay. But yes he apologized for his uncle's inability to throw," I smirked over to Aiden. He smiled back._

_"Can I do anything to make it up to you?" He asked,_

_I wasn't sure if he was flirting or being nice, but I felt nervous. I made it a point to discretely look at his hand to see if he was married. No ring! "Nah, no harm done, but next time, you may not get off so easy,"_

_"What's the fee for next time?" He asked,_

_Oh he's good, "Well I am running out of room…" I said flipping through my sketchbook, "So probably a new one of these,"_

_"Well that doesn't sound so bad,"_

_"Mom's calling us back," Jackson said, interrupting what Aiden was about to continue with. I don't want to say Jackson ruined the moment, but there was definitely a lot more room for chit-chat._

_We all looked over to see Nicky wave over to the boys, "Yeahhh guess she is. Well, miss, I'm sorry again for inconveniencing you," Aiden said. He and Jackson were walking away, but Aiden still held my gaze for a moment longer,_

_"Wait!" I called out. I ripped out the Spider-man drawing out of my sketchbook and handed it to Jackson, "You can hang on to that,"_

_His face lit up, "Whoa! Thanks!" He said holding it up._

_"You're welcome," I smiled back at him._

_"You sure?" Aiden asked._

_"Of course," I laughed, "What other things you like? Maybe I'll have one ready to go just in case we catch each other again," I really hoped that didn't sound too weird._

_"You like Star Wars don't you?" Aiden piped up._

_"Yeah! I've seen all the movies," Jackson cheered_

_I made eye contact with Aiden, "Don't worry, he likes the originals more," He said. We laughed._

_"Well, good, I'll have a Star Wars drawing ready to go. Just in case," I smiled._

_"Jackson! Aiden!" Nicky hollered. I eventually grew to like her, but at that moment, I wanted her to shut up._

_"Thanks, again. See ya around," Aiden said and walked off with Jackson. I sat back down and drew for a bit longer. I didn't want to seem desperate, so I left shortly after. I was sure I would see them again soon._

"Hey!" Someone hollered and brought me back to reality. I looked over and saw a guy yelling at his dog barking. I sighed and just watched the scene happen in front of me. What else was I going to do?

"You know, I threw the ball at you on purpose," I looked over to the other side of me and saw Aiden standing there. He didn't smile, but I saw kindness in his eyes anyway.

I didn't know what to say for the longest time. It meant a lot to me that he still remembers how he forced himself into my life, "I know. Just like a boy in kindergarten,"

"I'm sorry about last night. It's been… rough…without her," He said in his usual low voice that I loved so much. I mean… that I felt indifferent towards..

"You don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have said anything. I have a knack for pissing you off," I looked away.

He stepped right in front of me, and lifted my chin up to make me look at him, "I don't hate you, Ripley. Stop thinking I do,"

I lightly grabbed his hand and pushed it away from my chin, "Okay," I responded and tried not to look away again, but I did. I couldn't help it. I felt so nervous around him.

"Let me help you get your stuff from your apartment. Since you're going to be at Jordi's for a while," Aiden changed the subject.

"Did Jordi ask you to do this. Don't worry about it, I don't have that much stuff,"

"He didn't ask. I want to. Plus, I need to make up for being an ass," He smirked.

Even if I didn't have that much other than clothes, I did miss my neighbors. I don't want them to worry about me, but I hoped that they thought of me while I was gone, "I accept" I smiled and stood up.

"Do you need help walking?" He held his hand out getting ready in case I fell over.

"No, just bare with my slow walking," I laughed.

We walked to his car and we drove off to my apartment several blocks away. It was on the outer side of the city and Jordi lived pretty much right in it. I'm not one to be impressed with people's cars or clothes or apartment, but his car made me especially attracted to him… "Did Jordi find anything out for you yet?" He asked making me feel awkward about what I was just thinking about.

"Oh, uhhh. Yeah. This guy used to be someone that worked for someone else that my dad screwed over… except he's using someone else's identity that has been dead for 10 years. So he's trying to get info that my dad took through me, but I don't have any of it or know why he wants it. That's all I really know, I guess."

"We'll find him," Was all he said.

We pulled up to my complex and walked out. I stepped through the gate expecting to see people outside as usual, but no one. I walked up my stairs, Aiden walking behind me, and noticed that my door was open. I stopped and pointed to it. Aiden noticed and pulled out his gun. He pulled me behind him and he headed inside the door. I crept up behind him and walked inside, but stayed by my front door as he checked the bathroom and my room. My apartment… was trashed. Things were knocked over, kitchen was torn apart, and clothes were thrown around. I frowned.

He walked back out from my room, "Clear," He said looking around.

I noticed him looking around the mess, "Excuse the mess," I said sarcastically.

"Guy really wants something, huh?" He typed something into his phone and showed it to me (Careful what you say. Ears everywhere)

I nodded, "Won't find it anywhere by me. Sucks for him. And me. Now I have to clean all this up…" I said, but I started packing things I needed into my backpack.

Aiden was snooping around my stuff and saw a drawer open with a set of picture frames faced down. It was the accordion style set of frames. I just turned my back pretending I wasn't looking. The first picture had my dad and I when I was 18. It was the most recent picture I had of him and it was almost 10 years old. The second picture of course had Lena and Jackson holding up drawings that they did – they used to love drawing with me. The third picture was just Aiden and I. We were looking at each other laughing at something someone said. Nicky sneaked the picture. She thought it was adorable and had it printed out for me. I have to admit, it was a disgustingly cute picture. The fourth picture was a selfie that I took of us, me wearing that stupid navy hat he wore when I first met him, and he had hat hair. I haven't looked at those pictures in a while. They stayed in that drawer for over a year. But I remember exactly what they were.

With my back still turned, "Alright I guess I'm all packed up here," I turned to look to see if he put the pictures away, but he was already walking toward the door. I walked out with him and saw someone in the courtyard, "Winston!" I called out.

He noticed me and frowned, "Now you're just packing up and heading out, huh?" He asked accusingly.

"What? No, I was going to see where Loretta was so I could pay off the rest of my lease," I said.

"That's not funny," He glared at me and tried to get in my face, but Aiden stopped him, "Get your hands off me!" Winston yelled.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked.

"Your fucking problem became our problem, clearly!" He yelled, "Your boys were looking for you. We said we didn't know and haven't seen you in days, so they took it out on us,"

"Winston, I have no idea what you're talking about. What did they do? Is everyone okay?" I asked concern.

"They shot Loretta! She was trying to protect you and keep them away, and they shot her," He yelled. My eyes widened and my arms fell down at my sides.

"Winston… I-"

"Know what's worse? Look behind you," He called out, tears in his eyes.

I looked behind me. What I saw made me throw my hands up to cover my mouth. Gerald was sitting there on a porch with a bloody bandage over his eye.

"They were threatening Gerald and Loretta still had your back! They stabbed him, and we can't even afford to get him to the hospital. You've killed us!" He yelled.

I walked over to Gerald and stood in front of him starting to cry, "I'm so sorry…" was all I could whisper. He stood up and still hugged my legs. I lost it after that. I dug in my backpack and just threw money on the ground and began to storm out of the complex, covering my face. Aiden was always behind me.

Winston picked up the money and threw it back at me. "Is that what this was for? This money? We don't want your dirty money, you bitch! Never show your face again!"

Aiden was about to go do something about the name-calling, but I just pulled him arm, "Don't." I whispered, my head still down. I cried on my way to the car and when we got to it, I just leaned on the car. I'm sure my outburst sounded dramatic, but I don't care who was standing around, judging. They don't get it. "Aiden, that is what Tannen is capable of. They can break into my home, stab me all they want, but they're not just stopping there. They're going after people who know me. Gerald is an orphan now because of me, maybe without an eye! Loretta was the sweetest woman I have ever met and she's gone. Oh my god…" I could hardly even form words, I was crying so hard.

Aiden pulled me into his arms, trying to make me feel better. He ran his hands through my hair, and as much as I loved/missed that feeling, I couldn't get my mind off of what I just learned. He put his mouth close to my ear, "We need to get out of here," He whispered, "You're not safe out in public and neither are they,"

I pulled myself away from him and rubbed my face. His hand was still slightly on my shoulder, "Okay, let's go," I said and got into the car. We drove off to Jordi's apartment, but Aiden took several roads out of the way just in case someone was watching. I lowered my head on my knees and tried to stop myself from crying. I felt Aiden's hand rubbing my back briefly before focusing more on the road.

Time felt like it was going by slowly, forcing me to take in every detail I saw over and over. Gerald's face… Horrible. I will pay them back for what they did to him. Aiden stopped the car and we got out. He grabbed my backpack for me, and we made our way upstairs to Jordi's apartment. He wasn't home so it was just us. I walked over to the window and let out a sigh. I finally stopped crying, but I was still emotional and my face was red and puffy. I could see my own reflection and I really didn't want Aiden to see my face. Aiden set my bag down on the couch and walked up behind me, but kept his distance.

"I know what you're thinking," I began, "You feel bad because you took me there to experience that. I feel horrible that it happened, but I'm glad that I know what kind of fucking assholes we're dealing with," I tried not to punch the window. He didn't say anything. I didn't want to wait for a response – not like I needed one. I walked to the bathroom to wash my face. I could see my puffy face even more clearly now. I felt bad that I was leaving Aiden out there alone. I was half expecting him to be gone when I walked back out, but even after 10 minutes, he was still there, sitting around on the couch, messing on his phone.

I walked over to him, "Did you want tequila or anything?" I asked quietly. Hard to believe it was still the afternoon. He stood up and walked to the kitchen with me. I reached up to grab a bottle from the cupboard but he reached over me to close the door. I turned around to stand face to face to him. My face turned red. Wonder if he could tell. It was already red from crying.

"Don't let this break you," He said quietly.

I looked into his eyes and glanced over to his lips and immediately looked away, knowing he noticed, "I'm trying," He rubbed my arm lightly, with a small smile. "You know, Aiden, It's kind of weird seeing you so often lately. I'm not used to it," I smirked.

He chuckled, "Sorry to bother you,"

"You're not bothering me. But I already accepted never seeing you again. Then I accepted that I'd possibly only see you once a year. And now you're everywhere. I miss you," I frowned.

"Ripley," He called. I looked up and he cupped his hand over the side of my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek.

"Oh god, not this again," We both separated after hearing Jordi's voice out of nowhere.

"Hey, Jordi, didn't see ya walk in," I said looking at neither him or Aiden, but at the ground, "We were just –"

"That guy harassed her neighbors to try to get to her," Aiden interrupted me. Thank goodness.

"Why am I not surprised? This guy is sloppy. He's left his traced several times today and I know where we can find him," Jordi explained.

I was ecstatic, "Finally! Are we going after him?" I asked,

"No, you're hiding in here until your leg is fully healed. I'll get him," Jordi commanded.

"That's not fair! I want to go with you," I said.

"Well then we're waiting until your leg fully heals anyway, so do you want to wait?" Jordi seemed annoyed again,

I sighed, "Who knows who he'd get to until then…"

"Do you know anyone else who he could threaten?" Aiden asked.

"No, I guess not. Thanks for reminding me I don't have friends" I said faking offense.

"So then that's settled? We'll wait and tackle him together?" Jordi offered.

"Fine. But can we make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else in the meantime?" I asked.

"It'll be fine. We'll make his life hell until then. And you," Jordi pointed to Aiden, "Don't get comfortable here."

Aiden smirked and let out a chuckle. My face turned red. He pulled out something from his coat and set it on the counter next to me on his way out, "You know where to reach me," He said and walked out. I looked to my right to see the picture frames from my apartment. I picked it up and smiled looking at the pictures of him and I.

"Ugghh I thought that was done. You two are so cheesy," Jordi feigned disgust and walked to the couch and sat down

"I know," I smiled resting my forehead on the frames, just so I could hide how wide my smile was. I probably could've cried if Jordi weren't around to judge me.

* * *

**D'aww.  
**


End file.
